£3m bid to replace lights on M65

COUNCIL bosses have asked Whitehall for around £3m to replace lights covering part of the M65, the Lancashire Telegraph can reveal.

Controversial proposals to remove lights between junctions 10 and 14, as part of work to replace the central reservation, attracted a chorus of disapproval earlier this year on safety grounds.

But now it has emerged that the Labour-controlled county council has appr-oached the Department of Transport seeking extra funding to install new lights - as the current ones will need to be removed when a concrete barrier is installed along the route.

County Coun Azhar Ali, who represents Nelson South and is health and social care cabinet member, said the authority had been left with no option but to replace the lights, as a precursor to the new central reservation proposals.

“I fully support the replacement of the lights because it has a huge impact on the health and wellbeing of people in East Lancashire. That is why we have asked the government for help,” said Coun Ali.

The Lancashire Telegraph has campaigned against the lights being switched off overnight, and has won the backing of a number of MPs, and emergency services representatives. And it has also been confirmed that any work on the central reservation and lights will not now begin until 2015.

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Phil Barrett, the county council’s highways services director, said replacing the barrier would reduce the risk of serious collisions by preventing vehicles from crossing onto opposite carriageways when accidents happen.

But he added: “The work could not take place before next year in any case as we’ll be carrying out work to the barriers and bridge parapets along the hard shoulder later this year, and the two schemes could not be done at the same time.”

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Comments (5)

so what is our waste of space MP , Andrew Stephenson going to do to get this extra money from his good friend, George Osborne. He needs to put his money where his mouth is and do it quickly.

so what is our waste of space MP , Andrew Stephenson going to do to get this extra money from his good friend, George Osborne. He needs to put his money where his mouth is and do it quickly.pendlegirl

so what is our waste of space MP , Andrew Stephenson going to do to get this extra money from his good friend, George Osborne. He needs to put his money where his mouth is and do it quickly.

Score: 4

the beaver says...10:52am Wed 28 May 14

Good old labour spend spend spend. This would be a good idea and pay for itself. Watch this https://www.youtube. com/watch?v=SNMFKKyF U60

Good old labour spend spend spend. This would be a good idea and pay for itself. Watch this https://www.youtube.
com/watch?v=SNMFKKyF
U60the beaver

Good old labour spend spend spend. This would be a good idea and pay for itself. Watch this https://www.youtube. com/watch?v=SNMFKKyF U60

Score: -1

phil kernot says...12:20pm Wed 28 May 14

the beaver wrote…

Good old labour spend spend spend. This would be a good idea and pay for itself. Watch this https://www.youtube. com/watch?v=SNMFKKyF U60

It's not spend spend spend it out of the road tax that is not the goverments. Get your facts right ,,, we have a. Right to lights on motorways were part of the eu don't forget thay govern us not parliament ,,,

[quote][p][bold]the beaver[/bold] wrote:
Good old labour spend spend spend. This would be a good idea and pay for itself. Watch this https://www.youtube.
com/watch?v=SNMFKKyF
U60[/p][/quote]It's not spend spend spend it out of the road tax that is not the goverments. Get your facts right ,,, we have a. Right to lights on motorways were part of the eu don't forget thay govern us not parliament ,,,phil kernot

the beaver wrote…

Good old labour spend spend spend. This would be a good idea and pay for itself. Watch this https://www.youtube. com/watch?v=SNMFKKyF U60

It's not spend spend spend it out of the road tax that is not the goverments. Get your facts right ,,, we have a. Right to lights on motorways were part of the eu don't forget thay govern us not parliament ,,,

Score: 0

darwenTower says...1:11pm Wed 28 May 14

Do the fairies leave the road tax money under the government's pillow Phil? If there's 3million pound spare for the roads i'd rather see it better spent than making it easier for incompetent people to drive at night.

Do the fairies leave the road tax money under the government's pillow Phil?
If there's 3million pound spare for the roads i'd rather see it better spent than making it easier for incompetent people to drive at night.darwenTower

Do the fairies leave the road tax money under the government's pillow Phil? If there's 3million pound spare for the roads i'd rather see it better spent than making it easier for incompetent people to drive at night.

Score: 3

A Darener says...8:06am Thu 29 May 14

When the lights are installed and there are still accidents what will the excuse be then?

When the lights are installed and there are still accidents what will the excuse be then?A Darener

When the lights are installed and there are still accidents what will the excuse be then?

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